Discover Shoreditch EC2A – East London's Creative Capital
Shoreditch EC2A has one of the most layered and compelling stories of any neighbourhood in London. Its recorded history stretches back to 1148, and it was in Shoreditch in 1576 that James Burbage built the very first playhouse in England, simply called The Theatre, on land that had previously been occupied by an Augustinian priory. The following year the Curtain Theatre opened nearby, and it was here that William Shakespeare first performed Romeo and Juliet and Henry V before the Globe was built from the dismantled timber of The Theatre itself. From those extraordinary theatrical roots, Shoreditch evolved through centuries of textile and furniture manufacturing, periods of poverty and urban decay, and eventually a remarkable late twentieth century transformation when artists including Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst moved into the cheap warehouse spaces of EC2A and kick-started a creative revolution that turned Shoreditch into one of the most talked-about neighbourhoods in the world. Today it is home to tech companies, media agencies, the world's first pop-up mall at BOXPARK, the legendary Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane, the Tea Building, street art by Banksy and dozens of international artists, and some of London's finest restaurants and cocktail bars. For anyone based in Shoreditch and heading to Heathrow, a pre-booked minicab or taxi from EC2A offers the most direct and reliable transfer available.